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Royal Blood, The Island: 4 Feb 2015

British rock duo Royal Blood played a grunge-fuelled set amidst a fittingly ominous sky last night as part of Channel [V]’s Island Party series. A crammed audience rocked back-and-forth as the floating bar forced them towards the front of the stage, all seeming displeased with their ‘not near enough’ proximity to the band. The band opened with Come On Over,inspiring everyone to inch closer to the edge. Lead singer Mike Kerr appeared to be walking on water as you couldn’t see anything but his upper body. His voice was electric and just seemed to linger on and on.

The industrial riff at the beginning of Figure It Out begged the question: how can a two-piece band produce so much noise? The lads had a playful chemistry that urged drummer Ben Thatcher to sporadically stand up and smash his high-hats with his Popeye-style sailor hat bouncing along.

The crowd fist-pumped in sync as Kerr howled like a werewolf during Ten Tonne Skelton, encouraging everyone to “cut loose like an animal”.

Last track, Out Of The Black saw Kerr disappear off stage but you could still hear the sound of his guitar. In a moment that can only be described as something that Kenny Powers would pull, he was on a ski boat playing out the rest of the song. Thatcher threw his drum stick at him to remind him that he too is part of the band. The short set and dramatic farewell left everyone wanting more from the suave rockers.